Releases by John McCarty:
John McCarty got his start singing in hometown Duluth, Minn. As a ninth grader, he became the frontman for a college band. At 16, he bought a $30 guitar from a neighborhood friend and began writing his own songs shortly thereafter.
His first original recording, Turn It Around, hit the scene as McCarty turned 21, and, while studying at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, McCarty performed solo shows to packed auditoriums of enthusiastic fans.
Turn It Around was followed by two subsequent self-releases, I Know and Welcome Back. As McCarty toured the Midwest, both sold over 1000 copies, quite a success for unsigned work.
During this time, Welcome Back landed on the desk of Burst Records Creative Director Daniel Holter. Realizing right away that McCarty had a rare combination of talents - an expressive, soulful voice; deft, groove-oriented guitar playing; and earnest songwriting - Holter chose McCarty as one of the first recording artists for the young, independent label. With Burst's now-trademark production quality and mega-musician lineup, Plans We Made hit streets in 2004.
Taxi.com says,
There's something undeniably fabulous about [these songs]. John's voice is really distinctive, and the playing and production are truly superb. Definitely the best thing I've heard here at Taxi all day, all week, all month!!!
Some top-notch musicians join McCarty on Plans We Made :
- Phil Madeira (Amy Grant, Owsley, Buddy Miller, Garth Brooks)
- Mark Robertson (Matthew Ryan, Rich Mullins)
- John Ferraro (David Baerwald, Barry Manilow, Boz Skaggs)
- Jerry Hey & Larry Williams (Michael Jackson, Toto, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin)
Plans We Made is a soulful and confident debut, with organic grooves that slip and slide between heartbreak and hope.
a Burst Collective effort / ©2006 Burst Records, LLC